Machine for covering boot and shoe straps.



B. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1908. 1, 127,541.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915,

8 SHEETSSHEET 1.

a 417% Z VWT/VESSESZ E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FQR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.22.1908. 1, 127,541, Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

8 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHDTO-LITHQ, WASHING TON. D. c.

E. A. STIGGINS. MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

. D 1 9 1 9 .hm 6 F a 6 Lb n m a P n 0 9 1L 2 00 G U A D B L I P. N 0 IT A 0 I L P P A 8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WT/VKSSESZ.

@Mca 44% 'h'E NORRIS PETERS CO4. PHOTD'LITHO" WASHINGTON. D, C

E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION I'ILE D AUG. 22, 1908.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

j 5 i w 4 m 1 4 1 1 m a. J J 9 w d 4 A Z 4/ Fig.4.

'rHF NORRIS PETERS C11, PHO'lU-LITHQ, WASHINGYUN. D. C.

E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 190B.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

BSHEETS-SHEET 6.

HE NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTD-LITHC wAsHHqGma n c E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOB COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1908. 1,1 27,541 Patented Feb. 9, v1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1908.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

Wm A W/T/WES'SE THE NORRIS PETERS (I). PHOTO-L. 4H0, WASHINGTON. D. C.

E. A. STIGGINS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BOOT AND SHOE STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22.1908.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. C.

rinTTnn sTaTns PATENT ora ion EDWARD A. STIGGINS, OF BEVERLY,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON,NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed August 22, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. STIGGINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and Coml'IlOllWGflltll ofMassachusetts, have invented certain. Improvements in Machines forGovering Root and Shoe Straps, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likereference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to machinery for the manufacture of articles ofthe class including the donning straps or loops which are provided. atthe rear of the tops of shoes, such a strap being inserted usually inthe upper of each shoe early in its formation, and accompanying the shoethroughout the process of manufacture On account of the roughusage andhandling to which the shoe is subjected, the strap requires thoroughprotection, and this usually takes the form of a covering of paper,serving to prevent the strap from becoming soiled until thcshoe is readyfor sale. Such coverings-may conveniently be applied to the individualstraps, in the course of their manufacture from a substantiallycontinuous flexible strip of webbing or other suitable strap stock, andthe covers are usually so applied prior to the operation of doubling thestrap into the loop form in which it is ready to be inserted in the shoeupper.

Fvly invention is of special utility when embodied in machines of thetype in which substantially continuous stock strips of strap and covermaterial are fed across each other at right angles, suitable portions ofeach severed from the stock strips respectively, and the resulting strapdoubled after hav ing been covered, although I contemplate the use of myinvention in any field to which it is adapted by the nature of myimprovements, nor indeed do I limit their embodiment to machines for themanufacture of shoe straps.

()ne of the most important objects of my invention is to provide packingand inclosing mechanism to receive the covered, doubled shoe straps orsimilar articles, and after assembling these articles in compact bundleseach containing a convenient number of the articles, to secure each packso termed within a suitable inclosure, constitut ing the parcel thusdelivered a merchantable Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 449,302.

article ready for the workmans bench, where individual straps may betaken from the parcel at will until all the straps shall have beenremoved. As this mechanism may be considered a complete invention initself, I do not make it the subject of separate generic claims in thepresent application, but reserve the right to file a separateapplication containing such claims.

Heretofore it has been customary to assemble by hand the covered strapsfrom the loose heaps in which they were discharged by the doublingmechanism, and to bundle them in bulky, irregular packages, ditticult tohandle and apt to fly apart.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a templet deviceto sustain the flexible strip or other article in its flat or otherdesired shape during the operation of covering and creasing, andtocooperate with cover-folding devices in maintaining the cover upon thearticle without an extraneous adhesive during its dissociation from thetemplet and its introduction to the doubling mechanism. I prefer toprovide this templet with a central exit to permit withdrawal of thecovered strap by a suitable creasing device transversely from thetemplet and directly into the doubling mechanism, without preliminarydisplacement from its covering relation with the templet. In older typesof strap-covering machines, having templets or guides for the covermaterial, the covered strip has been shifted from the templetlongitudinally, and then creased and doubled, and frequently thisshiftresulted in displacing the cover from proper position. In the mostadvanced type of strap-covering machines, the covered straps aretransferred to the doubling mechanism without preliminary shifting fromthe covering position, thus avoiding the, possibility of displacement ofthe cover from its proper medial position on the strap, but in thesemachines no templet has been used, for lack of means to permittransverse Withdrawal of the covered strap from a continuous templet. Ithas also been customary to paste together the overlapping edges of thecover to prevent its displacement from the strap. In apparatus where notemplet is used, and the paper cover is folded directly about the stripof flexible strap stock, the strap has a tendency to curl longitudinallyunder the pressure of the cover paper, especially if thick paper isused, and accordingly it is the general practice to use covering papertoo thin for durability, and this paper is crumpled and easily torn byrough usage during the manufacture of the shoe, so that sometimes. 25% Iof the straps lose I covers and are unprotected. Thepasting operationitself is also one difficult to accomplish with uniform accuracy andwithoutmarring the work; so that a substantial advance inv the art hasbeen secured by inyp'rovision of means to permit the use of a ternplet,and also of means to dispense with the use of paste and to maintain acovering of adequately thick paper in place upon the strap during theoperations of folding, creasing, doubling, assembling and packing, ashereinafter described An additional object of my invention is tosimplify the process of folding the cover over the strap and toreducethe number of moving parts operative in that process, and this 1 1accomplish preferably by r rrangiiig the templet device to move intoengagement with a yielding folding-table'betweenwhich and the templetare first introduced the article to be covered and the cover material,further movement of the templet serving to carry the cover past, and inengagement with, folder members on opposite sides of the table,thusbending the edges of the cover past the edges of the strap, aftervhich a transverse or refolding movement is imparted to the foldermembers to overlap the edges of the cover above the templet and article,maintaining thei'n in adjusted position until and during withdrawal ofthe covered strap from the temp'let, when the folders and templet arereturned respectively to normal position, leaving the'yield ingta'ble toregain its normal position also, in readiness for afresh supply of coverand strap stock: Hereto'fore, where movable foldving tables have beenused, rotating folder members have been mounted on, and movable with thetable, but' the operating connections for the reciprocating table androtating folders have been complicated, and the character of the fold isless satisfactory thanthat produced by the simple, firm, transverse;crowding engagement provided; by my novel arrangement of foldingmembers, yielding folding-table and plungingtemplet.

Still otherin'iportant objects of my invention are; the provision ofstrap-marking mechanism with means for its adjustment and controlindependently 'of the means for adj ustment' of the mechanism toregulate the length of the article manufactured improved detector,"mechanism to govern the operation of the machine and prevent theoperation thereof upon defective material; improved gripper mechanismfor grasping the work-strip positively to draw it into accurate alinement with the covering material and folding mechanism; also improvedcover feeding mechanism; and mechanism for delivering the covered,doubled articles successively, and in uniform position, to theassembling mechanism:

"The various features of my invention will be illustrated and describedfully in the accompanying drawings and specification and set forth inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in rear'elevation ofa machine formanufacturing covered straps, in the construction of which myimprovements have been embodied; and Fig. 1 shows a single, completestrap," covered and folded; \vhile Fig. 1? shows a bundle ofmanufactured straps as delivered by my machine, wrapped in a pareel andready for the worknians bench; Fig. 2 is "iew in front elevation of thesame machine on a larger scale; and Fig. 2 isa fragmentary, detail viewin perspective, illustrating the templet device and its suport; Fig. 3is a view in side elevation looking from right to left, Fig. 1; and Fig.at a view in side.- elevation looking from left to right, Fig.1; Fig. 5is a plan view of the machine,-on the same scale. as Fig. 2, parts beingbroken away for thesake of clearness; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, inplan, partly in -section,-showing the gripper jaws about'to draw thestock strip into place for the covering operation; and Fig. 5 shows inperspective, on a reduced scale, the tension device for the cover strip;Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, detail view in perspective of theweb-stri-p-gate and severing mechanism, shown in its general relation toother parts in'Fi'gsL' 2 and 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view intransverse, vertical section on the line X X Fig. 5, with parts shownvinelevation, illustrating the covering and delivery mechanisnnand Fig. 8 asimilar view of said mechanism looking from left to right on the line XX Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is afra gmentaryview in horizontal section of theassemblatory and related parts; and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail viewin plan showing the wrapper strip gate; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, detailview in perspective of the "assembling mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 9,parts being omitted' to'reveal others. Figs; :11-13 inclusive arefragmentary views in perspective of the wrapper-feeding mechanismshownin Fig. 5, and illustrate details of construction to be described morefully hereinafter:

' twin first give a brief summary of the general operation of myinvention as disclosed-in the preferred embodiment thereof selected forillustration and description, and will then' 'describe in detail thepreferred mechanism. used to accomplish the several operations of"feeding, covering, Y doubling, delivery, assembly,- packing, wrappingand discharging, with the subsidiary operation of printing, which I willreserve to the last; and I will describe also the mechanism forcontrolling the organized machine herein described as a convenient formto enable ready and complete understanding of my improvements.

Summary of 0pemti0ns.l3riefiy sum marized, and referring first to Fig.1, my machine for manufacturing covered straps and similar articles mayconveniently receive its supply of stock in the form of a substantiallycontinuous work-strip of web bing or other suitable material A,contained in the form of a roll from which the strip is drawn (see Figs.5 and 7) by a sliding gripper device B, beneath a temple G, whichpresses it down upon a strip of covering paper D (see Fig. 7) ledthereunder from a supply roll D, formed of said paper, (see Fig. 5, thecovering paper not being shown beyond the vicinity of said roll in thisligure). The cover is folded around the strip (see Fig. 8) by the actionof folders E, E, after which the covered strap is creased by descent ofthe creasing device F and passed along to doubling rolls G, G, andthence by delivery mechanism H, H to the slot of a conveyer screw I,(see Fig. 7), whence the assembled, covered straps (each one resemblingthat shown in Fig. 1 pass by'an assembly-way K (see Figs. 2, 5 and 10)to one of the slots 1 of a packing-hopper or receptacle L (see Fig. 5)in which they receive a wrapper or inclosure M from the roll M, rotationof the hopper finally bringing them opposite a discharge-way N, fromwhich they are discharged automatically in the parcel form illustratedin Fig. 1.". The printing operation when desired, is performed by a.printing device P, (see Fig. 2) acting upon the strip before it receivesthe preliu'iinary draft into covering position.

Feeding 07 9cmt0n.Taking up now for description in detail the mechanismsutilized in accomplishing the respective operations above summarized,and for the sake of convenience dividing the mechanisms roughly byoperations, (although the description in certain places will not beconfined absolutely to mechanism specifically provided for the operationunder which it is classified,) I will describe first the supply orfeeding operation, starting at the region (I at the top of Fig. 2, whichthe strip a (see Fig. 1) of webbing or other suitable strap stock hasreached after passing between guide pins a upon the standard a whichsupports the trough or holder a the latter being provided preferablywith an antifriction roll a the bearing shaft (4 of which is mounted inthe wall of the trough, a gate member a being provided and mountedpivotally at a adjacent the lip of the trough, (as shown in Figs. 1 andThe end of the shaft a projects into a slot a in the gate member arm andlimits swinging movement thereof.

Reverting to Fig. 2, the strip portion a is subjected first to theaction of a tension and detector device a in the form of a knucklemounted to rotate with a rock shaft (4 supported rotatably near one endin a bearing (1. (see Fig. 5), carried by the machine frame part a, theother end of the rock shaft having a bearing a and a collar (1 betweenwhich a coil spring a acts upon the rock shaft to hold the knucklenormally upward toward an abutment a, with the web held snuglytherebetween, as best seen in Fig. 2. To prevent lateral displacement ofthe web, a latch a is shown, (see Fig. 5), mounted rotatively upon theend of the rock shaft a and held in place by a collar a, which permitsthe latch to be raised into the position shown in Fig. 2, to allow thestrip to be placed in position or removed, the latch being movable alsointo the horizontal position shown in Fig. 5, where it acts to hold thestrip in place. A finger-piece (L is provided preferably, to enable theknuckle to be depressed manually to release the strip portion a, andpermit the latter to be inserted, adjusted and removed. This tensionknuckle serves also the function of a detector, in the following manner,viz: The rock shaft upon which the knuckle is mounted is extended beyondthe bearing a and provided with a shoulder or ledge (1. best seen inFig. 1, and upon this ledge rests a latch 61 pivoted upon a frame membera which is provided with a spring 11. (see Fig. 5), tending normally tohold the latch down against the ledge a. so that a shoulder at the freeend of the latch (see Fig. 1) will be in a position to engage and look apin 01 upon the shipper handle a, when the shipper handle is movedtoward the left (see Fig. 1). The shipper handle a is mounted pivotallyupon the frame base (see Fig. 1) at at, and has a bracket or arm portiona ,'connected with a shipper-rod a this rod having at its outer end (seeFig. an arm a connected. with a slide rod a passing through a rotatablearm a and provided with a belt guide a, which is held normally oppositethe loose pulley (635, as shown in Fig. 1, by action of a. coil. springa surrounding the rod (4 between the frame part a and a collar a uponthe rod. When the shipper handle is moved to the left (Fig. 1) it takeswith it the belt guide a and carries the belt (not shown) on to the mainactuating pulley a, this pulley being mounted upon a hollow, bearingstud a (see Fig. projecting from the frame part a, the stud having alongitudinal bore a to passtherefor, The stride serves also as'abearingfor'tjhe arm (4 which is provided with aset-screw'topermit thearm to besecured in adjusted rotatiiie position with the guide a latjtheprope'r'angle to engage the belt. The main actuating pulley is connectedoperatively with the various mechanisms of x the machine connections tobe described in detail hereinafter. H J

InFig. l the machine is shown with the shipper ha'ndle' a out ofoperative position. To'start the machine," the shipper handle is movedto theleft, throwing the belt on to the pulley a? by meansof the beltguide a, as already described,fand in this position the shipper handleis locked by engagement of the latch a with the pin a? on the shipperhandle. The Various mechanisms of the machine will then be operatedcontinuously, by connections to be described, until disengagement ofthe'shipper handle, which may be effected by raising the latch (1,manually, or by manual rotation of the rock shaft a, effectedbydepressing the finger piece 6: 9, at the front of the machine, thisbeing the most convenient method of stopping the machine at will. I haveprovided also for automatic stopping of the machine when the strip AiseXhauS'ted or when a defective, unusually thick portion reaches theknuckle a, or when joint (between the pieces usually making up the rolls.of such stock strips) reaches the knuckle. As the thickened por tionpasses through the knuckle it will draw the latter downward, causingrotation of the rock. shaft a and causingone shoulder of the ledge a(see Fig; 1') under the latch to lift the" latch from engagement withthepin (1 011 the shipper handle, which is released thenby the action ofthe coil spring e the rod (0 and belt guide (13? arethrown, with thebelt, away from the main pulley a and opposite the 1'3ulleya ,cuttingoff the power and permitting the machine 'tostop. The same'result isattained upon absence of the strip a from between the knuckle a and theabutment a by exhaustion of'the strip supply, or otherwise, whichpermits rotation upward of'the knuckle a and with it the rock shaft aunder the action of the spring (1. the shoulder a. acting as before butin the opposite direction to lift the .latch and throw it of the pin (6of the shipper handle, stopping the machine. This is the position shownin Fig; 5. I

When the machine is operating normally, after the strip a passes theknuckle a, which holds it. under tension, the portion 0, of the striptraverses (see Fig. 2) a vertical'platen aftwith a felt covering a fiiffound. desirable (see Fig. 6) and here the operation or printing maypreferably be accomplished by aprinting'd'evice P (see Fig. 2'). which Iwill describe later. At the lower end of this run the strip iscarriedaround a positioning spring-foot a, (bestseen in F igsl 5 and 6),which serves to prevent accidental displacement of the strip end arearward (see Fig. 5 the foot being mountedpivot-ally on a stud 64carried by an adjustablesupporting member a, (see Fig. 6) secured by abinding screw a to the table member a "of the frame. The movable membercarries also severing mechanism, consisting in the instance illustratedof a'knife mounted pivotally on a rock shaft in bearings'a up'onthemovable membera and cooperating with a fixed shear member a also carriedby the movable member a, (see Figs. 5 and 6).

s'illa is provided preferably on the movablemember to aid in positioningproperly the strip, and the latter is held in place between the foot (1-and the sill a by a movable latch a (see Fig. 6) mounted pivotallyon theverticalplaten a? and having at its lowerend] an adjustable toe-plate asecured by'a binding screw, and provided also with a spring catch awhich holds the latch in adjusted position. l/Vhen, it is desired toremove, thestrip a from between the foot and thesill or to insert "a newstrip, the upper part'ofthe catch arm is moved toward the'right and thelatch portion a moves towardthe left and leaves free the narrow openingbetween the foot and an auxiliary guide member (L the latter beingmounted upon the stationary frame member a. LThe length of theindividual straps will be controlled by the position of the severingdevice a, and the shaft of this severdevice, which may be a knife or anydevice suitable for the purpose, is shown in they instance illustrated(see Fig. 6) as having segment rack arm a? meshing with another segmentarm (Z62 mounted on a stud a and having a tail piece a provided with ananti-friction roll which engages'the cam tracker on the side of a cam 64carried by the main actuating shaft a, the latter being rotated (seeFig.2.) through the medium of a gear w meshing with a pinion (4 on thehub in? ofthe main driving pulley a of the machine.

stock strip a, a, when first inserted in the machine is drawn throughthe knuckle a; (see Fig. 2) past the vertical platen a and between thefoot. a and sill a? (seeFigs. 2, 5 6) whenceit's free end'a projects inposition, to be grasped bythe' draft jaws b and I) (see Fig. 5 of themovable gripper device B, the first of which jaws is preferably integralwith a sliding head 6 mounted to traverse a slide Z2 1 carried by theframe table member a to which it is secured adjustably' by screws (47?,(see Fig." The. slide head 6 may bejad'justed by screws b at' each endof the head'andthese screwsfengage a" wear piece 5 within the head (seeFig. 5). A

rock shaft b mounted in bearings 17 upon the head carries at its innerend the movable jaw Z) (see Fig. 5), and has at its outer end a crank 5(see Figs. 2, 3, 5, and 5 with a pin t carrying a head 5 in and engaginga groove Z2 in a lever Z2 mounted pivotally at 1) upon the frame. l vhenthe lever Z9 moves toward the right, (see Fig. 2) it first rotates thecrank b and the head pin 6 until the latter strikes an abutment Z) (seeFig. 5 provided with a regulating screw b the rotation of the crankserving to throw the jaw .7) upward away from the jaw Z), and then thelever Z) drives the head 72 along the slide Z2 until the jaws b and Zare respectively below and above the free end a of the strip, ready tograsp the same by being moved into the position shown in Fig. 5. Thelever b is actuated through the medium of a pin 7) secured by a nut badjustably within the lever slot 1), the pin having a sliding head 2)moving in a slot 5 in an intermediate lever 0- carried pivotally at 6 bythe f 'ame member a and having in turn an arm 5 with an anti-frictionroller 6 which enters a cam groove a in a cam a secured suitably, as bya set screw a" upon a cam shaft a. This shaft is operated by a worm a(see Fig. 1), meshing with a cooperating spiral gear a upon the mainshaft (4, (see also Fig. 2). As the cam a" turns, and when the point ais reached, the lever I) receives the beginning of its leftward.movement and acts in turn upon the crank b rotating the same with therock shaft 5 and closing the jaw Z) down upon the jaw b, grippingtherebetween the strap portion a (see Fig. 5). Vl hen the jaws areclosed, the crank and the rock shaft can no longer rotate and the leverQ thereupon moves the crank and with it the head b along the slide 6toward the left, past the position shown in Fig. 5 drawing with it aportion'a of the strip, which constitutes the blank from which the strapis to be manufactured. The parts now occupy the position shown in Fig.2, and so far as the strap stock is concerned, the supply operation hasbeen completed. Concurrently with the above-mentioned operation, thesupply operation upon the cover stock has been performed in a mannerwhich will be understood best upon reference first to Fig. 5, showingthe machine in plan, with the roll D of covering paper mounted on aspindle (Z rotating in cap bearing devices a at the end of arms aextending from the frame of the machine. From the roll D the edge (Z ofthe strip is carried forward under an idle roll (Z having strap-guidingflanges at each end, and mounted pivotally near the free end of arms (Zextending from the spindle al mounted in bearings a in the frame of themachine, the paper passing through an auxiliary spring-controlledtension frame (Z (see Figs. 1 and 5 and over a direction member (Z toand between a pair of feed rolls (Z and d with intermeshing gears (Z 6!,having also a gear cl which is driven positively by a gear 03 on a shortshaft (Z which extends through the frame, having at its inner end aninterrupted gear d meshing with an interrupted gear a upon the mainshaft. As the interrupted gear causes the feed rolls to give a suddenpull on the strip of cover stock, it is desirable to provide yieldingfeed and this may be furnished by the auxiliary tension device shown atd which designates a rod P flanges will receive and guide the strip ofcover stock properly. The forward end d" of the strip D of coveringstock (see Fig. 8) is fed forward by the rolls d and (Z over a table 0across a stationary shear member a (see Fig. 5) under a shear member dII and thence under the strap blank portion G82 (see Fig. 7) theadvanced portion of the covering strip being suflioient in depth toembrace the strap on both sides, with a small margin for overlapping,and this covering portion is then severed from the stock of coveringstrip by descent of the shear member (Z at approximately the same timeas the severance of the strap, the shear (Z being mounted rotativelyupon a rock shaft a carried in bearing arms a, a (see Fig. 5) of theframe of the machine. The member (Z has a tail piece a (best seen inFig. 7) carrying an anti-friction roll a which is acted upon by theperiphery of a cam 64 mounted on, and actuated by the cam-shaft aalready described. A spring a may be provided to hold the shear (Znormally in its upper inoperative position. This com pletes the supplyoperation when, as I prefer, the operation of pasting the covering stripis omitted, for by the novel construction of my covering apparatus, nowto be described, I have made it possible to avoid the difficult anduntidy pasting operation.

Catering 0 /emti0n.At or about the time of severance of the blank a ofstrap stock and its blank of cover paper d just described, I bring intoaction a templet device C, the general construction of which appearsbest in Figs. 1 and 9', but the details of which are shown more fully inFigs. 2 5, 7, andS to which attention is now directed. This templet, inits preferred form, comprises two plate-like members 0,

0, (see Fig. 2 spaced slightly apart at their free 'endsc to permitpa'ssage of the creasing device F which=will be described later, theseplates beingpreferably flat and in the same general'plan, with theirfree ends opposed, cutaway slightly ina con cave curve as at 0respectively andhaving their corners bent down slightly as at 0 tofacilitate withdrawal of the cover edges thereover, and dissociation ofthe covered.- strap from the templet The templet mem-' bers may becarried and operated by any suitable device, and one convenient form ofsuch device is illustrated (see Figs: 2W5 and 7), ate taking the form ofaryoke car ried by an arm 0 preferablyrfastenedmedially on the rockshajft'a andxhavinga tail piece 0 (seeFig. 7*) provided with, ananti-friction roll a which engages, .and is operated by, the peripheryof a/ scam 0. on the camshaft a. A spring 0 mayrbeypro vided to hold thetemplet normally inaits upper position. After'descent of the.templet-device 'C "the parts occupy substantially the positionillustrated in Fig. '18, withnthe strapblank a pressed down bytheutemplet C against the cover blank 613 which in turn rests upon thefoldingtable'e which I have shown as yielding, being provided for thatpurpose with a plurality of plungersi 6 entering the pits e in astationaryrbed member 64 secured by screws upon the. frame part-esprings e? being provid'edzin one-or more of the pits to hold thefolding table normally up at or aboutithe levelxon which the: coverstock strip is fed over .thezstationary shear plate [4 1. In itsdescent, the templet C has drawn the strap blanlmfiand the cover blank(2. down past two afolder blades-E, E, (see Fig.8) which have caused theedges cl and d of the. paper to turn upward into the positionillustrated. :The folderblades E and Ei are secured .by screws e to, andcarriedrespectively by the arms e and e of levers .mounted-upon the rockshafts e and e carriedby the frame members a and-a (see Fig.2). Theselevers are shownas having anti-friction jroll'ersqe and e at their lowerfree ends-1170: be. engaged and operated by lateral ca1n'sho.ulders,orridgeso and '0 upon the rotating cam 0?, upon the cam shaft 0 aVlhe'nthe templet C has reached the lowest point inaeits :range ofmovements, the upper surface. ofi the templet members a, 0' is aboutopposite the bladesE and'E, and the latter member E is then operated bythe'cainshoulder -0 to press the upstanding edge dof the cover blankover the top oflthe templetiplates .0, 0 as indicated inFig. f8,andthereafter-the fin,ger=E-, actuated a little laterrby the cam ledge 0folds the upstanding cover blank edge d over inithe oppositesdirectiondown upon the templet members .0,fc and across the free edge d of thecover-blank (see :Fig.

7 thus surrounding strap and templet. A spring e may be provided to holdthe members E, E apart normally out of the path ofthe templeti Byproviding a templet, 1 am able to utilize a thicker and stiffer paperfor the cover blank, which has the result that when doubled and compres'sed; as I. will now describe, the cover remains in adjustedposition upon the doubled strapwithout any need for an extraneousadhesive. lThe machine has-now completed the coveringoperation, themiddle of the strap being covered for a distance equal to the width ofthe ,coveringstock, leaving free its ends to a distance determined bythe degreeof throwof the gripper B, which throw is determined (see Fig.2) by theiadjustable connection 12 between the levers I). and 5. 1 Themovable member a carrying the strap shears a, a, (see Fig. 6) isadjusted to: correspond to this throw of thelhead and -rits..ja-w s1band b,.by.looseningthe screw at? and setting it in adjustedv position;are. the ,position of the. shear a should. be at least as. far totheright of the creasing member Fas the distance-of the j awsJ) and b: will:be-to the left. of F when the head 3 is at its extreme leftwardposition, the sheared end-being preferably a little longer than theother end of the strap, so that when fastened in a shoe, there will notbe too much of a: lump-at the 'end of We strap.

. Creating, and doubling operatz'on.-The operation of the creasingdevice F will be understoodbest upon reference to 7. The creasingdeviceitself may take any suitable andconvenient form, but-Ihaveillustratedherein a form of device consisting of va'plura'lity of springleaves held adjustably ibyaznut f at the end of an arm f which ismounted rotatably at f on the shaft a and has a tail portion f with ananti-friction roller 7, whichlies in a cam groovea on the yinnerside ofthe cam a mounted upon and operated by the cam shaft a. The creasingdevice F is depressed after completion of the covering operation, andthe leaves engage the strap blank and its super.- imposed cover at theregion of the opening between the templet members 0, 0 (see Fig. 7)flithe leaves being slightly separated to avoidccutting action upon thepaper and strap, and to, form a reentrant fold 3 in the bight of thecover v(see Fig. 1*), this permitting the strap to be folded completelyflat, a feature whiohI do not claim as part of my invention. As thecreasing device descends it draws the strap from beneath the templetmembers 0, 0 respectively,- and draws the overlapping cover edges offthe templet members, and transversely downward through the exit formedbetween their slightly separated, opposed free ends 0 Further movementof the creasing device forces. the double strap downward through anaperture 6 in the middle of the bed plate 6, this aperture preferablyhaving rounded edges to avoid tearing the paper cover. As alreadymentioned, the free ends 0 of the templet plates 0, 0 will preferably beslightly curved as indicated at c in Figs. 2 and 5, and their corners 0bent down slightly to facilitate this smooth withdrawal of the papercover with the strap during the creasing and doubling operation. Notchese will preferably be provided in each of the folder blades E, E to passthe creasing device (see Fig. 5). Below the aperture 6 and as near it ascan be conveniently arranged, I prefer to provide a mechanism fordoubling and delivering the straps, and this may be of any convenientand suitable form. I have shown it (see Fig. 7) as consisting of aplurality of rolls G, G, with serrated surfaces 9 to grip the completedstrap, which is now covered and folded, presenting the appearance shownin Fig. l bearing the reference numeral 1, the reference numeral 2designating the paper cover, and 3 the reentrant fold already described.

In accordance with my invention, I prefer to combine with the devicesalready described, mechanism for more exact delivery of the cover strapsthan has been accomplished heretofore, and for their assemblage inbundles or parcels wrapped in convenient numbers and form for use by theworkman who inserts them in the shoe uppers, and accordingly I haveillustrated a second set of doubling and delivery rolls H, H to whichthe covered straps are conveyed by belts it, these belts takingconveniently the form of endless spiral springs lying in peripheralgrooves 9, (see Figs. 7 and 8). I prefer to actuate the two sets ofrolls positively, and to that end have mounted them 01 shafts 2 r 5carried res ectively in earings Z Ol1 blh6 l i1'flmG memb dr (4 theshafts being provided with gears g meshing wlth each other and with anoperating gear g on a stud a and actuated by a gear a on the shaft a.The shaft bearing g of one of the rolls may rest in a slideway as at 05(see Fig. 2) and be normally pressed yieldingly toward the opposite rollas by a spring 9 held up to its work by a plateau secured by screws aThis construction permits the rolls to separate slightly if an unusuallythick strap is delivered to them.

Deliocry and assembling mechamswa Passing now to the delivery andassembling mechanism proper, the initial step is accomplished upon thepassage of the completed strap 1, as seen in Fig. 7, from the lower setof delivery rolls H H to a conveyer screw I which has a spiral groove2', into which the covered straps are fed one by one, the screw beingmounted (see Fig. 9) on a shaft 2" passing through the frame at a androtated by a gear 71 meshing with an intermediate gear 2' which isactuated by a gear i carried by the main actuating shaft a. Uponreference to Figs. 2, 5, 9 and 10, it will be seen that adjacent thescrew I is a slideway K which I will hereinafter term an assembly way orassemblatory, having at its sides guide members 7: 7t" and theindividual covered straps as they are advanced by the rotation of thescrew are confined at the beginning of their path between" the guidemember A, and the screw-shaft (see Fig. so that rotation of the screwgradually carries them forward from the groove of the screw into theportion of the guideway beyond the limits of the screw and between theguide members A1, Z1, a number of them be ing shown in this position inFigs. 2, 5 and 10. The wall member is (see Fig. 2) of the assemblyway issecured by screws k it to the bottom a of the assemblyway, which mayconstitute part of the frame and the corresponding rear wall It of theassemblyway may be secured similarly by screws as at (see Fig. 2), therear member having a slot 7J (see Fig. 10) through which projects afinger if at the end of an arm lc extending up from a carriage it whichruns upon a rock rail 7.2, the carriage preferably having wheels 70secured in place by suitable means, as the screw piece k Suitable means,as the screws 70 may be provided to permit adjustment of the fingervertically. The rock rail 7G9 is mounted pivotally on bearingspreferably provided with means for adjustment, as the screws 7c in atits ends in the upright members a of the frame base and when a number ofstraps (say 4.8) have been assembled in the assemblyway the finger 76 iswithdrawn rearward from the assemblatory by a rocking movement of therail, this being accomplished by any suitable mechanism which, in theinstance illustrated, takes the form of a lever device 70 (see Fig. 10)projecting down ward and rearward toward and actuated by a cam ledgecarried by the horizontal barrel cam c which appears at the bottom ofFigs. 1, 3 anl 10, and the contour of which will best be seen byreference to Fig. 10. The rotation of this cam may be accomplished inany convenient manner as by a vertical shaft (see Figs. 1 and 5), at theupper end of which is a spiral gear a having a number of teethcorresponding to the number of straps to be bundled, in this instance48, and which meshes with a worm a carried by the shaft a (see F "Whenthe finger is is withdrawn from the slot, its carriage is automaticallyretracted. (see Fig. 10), by a spring 70 which replaces the finger in aposition adjacent to the first turn of the spiral groove 2' in front ofthe strap first to be delivered by said groove, and when the cam areleases the lever is, the finger k is thrown forward into theassemblyway to engage said straps, by action ofa spring which tendsnormally'to rock the rail ic 'for-ward. A'builer' 70 may be provided topreventiundue shock at the end of the retractive movement and if desiredthe'head piece 70 of the railk" may be made separable therefrom andtheother end of'the rail formed with an enlargement 70, the generalsection of the rail being rectangularf Any other suitable constructionof rockrail may however be adopted,'-nor do Ilimit myself to'the exacttype of carriage illustrated, whichis shown as embracing the radon threesides and having projections 70 to engage the fourth side. Bearingpieces 7e may also be provided at the rail ends. To the'left, i. e. atthe'rear, of-the group of straps which are confined in front thus by thefinger 70, I provide (see Figs. 2, 9 and 10), a feedingfinger or packingin'emberk? which engages the assembled group and feeds it forwardpositively, this finger being mounted upon an arm'h extendingupward'from a carriage Z625 mounted on a rockfframe comprising a rockrail k provided with arms /0 and a rock rod is, and carried at each endby bearings 1n the upright members (1 a respectively ofthe frame base. Ihave shown this rail as rocked bya lever 70 (Figs. "4' and 9), which issecured to the rock rail and has at its free end a roll 73 operated bya'lower outside cam ledge 64 on the barrel cam a down against whichledge the roll 70 is held normally by the action of the coil springjci(see Fig.4) secured at [6 to the frame member The rail islrockedbutwardfor the purpose of withdrawing the pacl'ring member 70 to enable it to'be returned to the position shown in Figs."2,-9 and 10 behind the groupof straps, this return movement being accomplished by'the action of alever 76 "(see Fig. 9') which has a segmental rack is atits freeendengaging a straight rack}: upon the carriage is, the lever 70 beingmounted pivotally at 70 upon a vertical shaft 7a to which is fixed alever arm 76 provided with an anti-friction roll it which enters'a camgroove a on the head of the barrel cam a The packting member 70 havingbeen positioned by action of the arm 70 and the arm 76 at the pointshown in Figs. 2 and 9 and thrown in by the spring 76 the restrainingfinger k is withdrawn and further operation of the cam a causes thepacking member 70 to advance toward the right, pushing Wltllll] andcompacting the group of 4:8 covered straps which are now assembled asbest shown in Fig. 10, and will be dellvered thus, preferably, to thepacking mechanism now to be described, and which constitutes one of themost important objects of my invention.

Packing] mechanism-Adpcent to the right-hand end of the asse nblyway Kjs preferably arranged the packing and wrapping. or inclosing mechanismfor an: understanding "of which reference maybe made first to Figs. '2and Sand, briefly-stated, this mechanism comprises rotating receptacleor hopper L, mounted pivotally' at, a upon the frame base '(see Fig. 1)and having transverse grooves, slots or recesses Z Z Z, Z which mayintersect at the center as illustratedgin"Fig.2 5,'and-eachof which isof suitable'lengthtoreceive agroupv of the desired nnmberofccveredstraps.- Sucha group is shown partlyinserted within the groove Z whereit has been delivered by the right-hand movement of the'packingin'emb'enk during the period illustrated in Fig. 5 when the entrance ofthe groove 5 registers with the eXit'of the assemblyway lip? flhe memberdesignated by the reference letter" Z constitutes a gate for thegroove'and there are similar gates Z provided fortheother grooves, eachof these being providedwith suitable means to resist yieldingl'y theentrance of the strap. For this purpose I have shown each 'of themascontrolled (see Figs. '5.and-11) by one of the-springsZ lying beneath anextension slide} with which each gate is provided at the-bottom of itsslot, andoperatingbe; tween an abutment plate :Z (see Fig. -11-) and-anextension "slide or 'foot- 1 0f the gate respectively opposite. Thesesprings arecoiled respectively each upon a guide rod Z ('seeFig. 5)whichtraverses a hole Z}? (seeFig; 1 1) in'the foot ofitsrespectivegate. [Adjacent each guideway is preferably provided a stationary shearmember Z secured removably to the outer wall of the hopper, byisuitablefastening means, as the screws Z, for a purpose to be described later.""The wrapping 0pe-mti0n.1 carry out the operation of wrapping inbundles or par celsthe respective groups of straps preferably atthe timethat they are packed into the hopper slots by the action of the finger 0and this wrapping operation I will now describe in such brief detail asmay be adequate to a proper nnderstanding iof my present invention, amore complete description being reserved for a separate application.Q'Pleferring to Fig. 5, the reference numeral M designates a reel ofwrapping paper, or other suitable wrapping or inclosing material,preferably somewhat narrower than the lengthof the folded strap, thereel being'moun'ted on a vertical stud a carri'ed by a bracket aattached by a bolt or other suitable fastening means a to the framemember a (see F l), and the strip M from this reelI lead around'adirection stud m and between guide members m, m (see Figs. 5, 9 and 9*),past a knife or other suitable severing mechanism to V m (see Fig. 9)and into position to be grasped by one of the four gripper devices L ZZ, and Z provided just to the rear of each of the grooves F, L Z" and Zeach gripper serving in its turn (see Figs. 9 and 1143) to grasp theforward end m of the strip M and draw it along in the course of rotationof the hopper into position across the following slot and the gripperbeing then actuated to release the end of the strip, so that the groupof straps when pressed into the slot by the packing member is will carryinto the slot the paper also, (see Fig. drawing its free forward end inback along the clearance space Z until a small portion is left in saidclearance space as shown partly accomplished at 122* in Fig. 5. In Fig.9 the wrapper is shown ready for withdrawal of the finger it andinsertion of the straps into the slot Z the straps being omitted to showthe assemblyway clearly. During the operation of inserting the strapsthe hopper re ii ains stationary, and after the group of straps hasentirely entered the slot Z before the hopper begins to rotate in thedirection of the arrow Fig. 5, carrying with it the partly wrappedstraps, the rear of the wrapper will be severed at m from the strip ofwrapper stock by action of the knife or severing device m as shownclearly in Fig. 9. This severing device (see Fig. 9), is carried by asliding head m, to which the knife is secured adjustably by suitablemeans, as the screws "1727, (see Fig. 9) which hold in place a verticalguide m along which the head slides. To actuate the severing device alever arm m is connected pivotally to the head m by means of a stud mwhich enters a block in a groove m in the head, and this lever ismounted rotatively upon the vertical shaft is at the rear of themachine, the arm having a me dial anti-friction device at, which entersand is operated by a face-track a in the upper surface of a disk cam athe latter being mounted to rotate with the vertical shaft a When thelever m" is actuated by the cam, the knife is carried forward intoengagement with the strip M of paper opposite a vertical recess Z (seeFig. 9) in the exterior wall of the hopper, acting to sever the strip atm by shearing engagement with the shear member Z in advance of thegripper, (see Figs. 9 and 11). At the same time the head on (see Fig. 9)forces a plunger m mounted in a recess m of the head, with a strongspring on behind it, into engagement with the gate device 171., holdingit toward a cooperating fixed gate member of (see Figs. 9 and 9 toengage the strip of wrapper stock near the region of severance, and holdit taut, so that the knife will readily pass through and sever itcleanly. The gate m is pivoted at m (see Figs. 5 and 9 upon a verticaljournal a the gate being closed nor mally by a spring m (see fig. 1) andwhich may be provided with a controlling handle m '10 supplement thebinding action of the spring m, the gate may have an upward extension atwith a cam block on fastened by a screw m and to be engaged by a roll mon the under surface of the spiral gear a and which holds the gate shutpositively and binds the strap M while being severed.

The cycie of the wrapping and packing operation begins at the pointillustrated in big. 9 where the free end of the strip of wrapper stockis left after severance at m, and the first step in this cycle isaccomplished when the vertical rotating gripping device Z turns intoengagement with the free forward end 122* of the severed strip, (seeFigs. ll, 12 and 13), and by pressing it against an abutment Z securedby screws Z within a recess or socket Z in the periphery of the hopper,the gripper is enabled in the course of its further movement to graspthe strip M as shown in Fig. 12, and to draw forward the strip frombetween the gate members m, m (see Figs. 9 and 9) across the exit of theasseinblyway ii and in front of the slot Z and gate Z against which thestraps will press the wrapper under the ac tion of the packing member isas already described see (Fig. The construction of the gripper device Zmay vary considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention,and when it takes the form herein shown, of a vertical finger, it ispreferably mounted on a vertical journal Z, the upper and lower ends ofwhich are carried in bearings Z of bearing pieces l secured by screws 2upon the upper and lower faces of the hopper wall Z.

'50 actuate the gripper device into operative engagement with the freeedge of the wrapper strip as alreadv described, any suitable means maybe adopted, and as one convenient form of such means, 1 have shown eachof the grippers, (see Fi gs. 1113) as provided with an arm l having astud Z carrying an anti-friction roll A, to be brought into engagement,as the hopper rotates, with the concave surface a of a projection aextending upward from the bed a of the machine adjacent the periphery ofthe hopper. As the hopper rotates further the wall 5 of the hopper (seeFig. 13) engages the roll Z and holds the gripper toward the abutment Zmaintaining the grip on the wrapper edge m Figs. ll, 12 and 13 show thisportion of the mechanism in three phases of its operation, viz. Fig. 11,immediately prior to engagement; Fig. 12, during the period when thestrip is grasped and led forward; and rig. 13, when the gripper ispermitted to move out from the wall of the hopper and thus release thefree end m of the wrapper blank M. This outward swinging movement of thegripper may be effected in any suitable manner, but I prefer to providefor accomplishing the release positively by the action of a coil spring2* secured at one end, as at Z to the bottom of the hopper wall Z andconnected at its other end by a ligament Z to the journal Z which theligament partly encircles near the arm Z which carries the anti-frictionroll Z, the spring acting to open the gripper outward momentarily toeffect release of the end m when the roll Z comes opposite a recess Z(see Fig. 13) in the base Z of the box Z which incloses the hopper, (seeFigs. 5 and 18). A pin Z (see Fig. 11) may be provided to limit theoutward swinging movement at the position shown in Fig. 9, which thegripper assumes after passing the dischargeway N, (see Fig. 5). Thegroup of completed straps will have entered entirely within the slot Zprior to severance of the rear end m and their pressure against themedial portion of the wrapper will have carried it into the slot Z asshown in Fig. 5, drawing backward toward them the forward free end on ofthe wrapper blank, which lies in the clearance space Z between thehopper wall Z and the box wall Z until this end occupies a positionindicated by m in Fig. 5, and the rotation of the hopper in thedirection of the arrow Fig. 5 after severance of the end m now bringsthe free forward end m opposite a vertical aperture Z in the box wall Z.The resiliency of the paper will throw the free end of the wrapper outinto this aperture, so that as the hopper continues its rotation, theknife edge Z of the aperture will engage the paper and fold it backwardover the outermost strap of the group. To insure positive action of thisknife edge, I

refer to form it as a swinging gate journaled pivotally at Z in the boxwall and provided with a spring Z tending to hold it normally inwardtoward the periphery of the hopper, which may be slightly recessed asindicated to receive the forward edge of the blade Z There now remainsthe operation of lapping and pasting or otherwise securing the rearwardfree end m of the wrapper-blank, to complete the packing and wrappingoperations, and in accordance with the preferred embodiment of myinvention, the hopper continues to rotate until it arrives at a quarterturn from the position at which the group of straps was introduced tothe slot Z or in other words, until the slot, with the group of straps,reaches the position of the slot Z in Fig. 5, with the rear end m of thewrapper blank still trailing, however, as shown in Fig. 2, the wall Z ofthe hopperbox being broken pinion Z mounted upon a vertical shaft Z Iwhich rotates in bearings a upon the frame of the machine and has on itslower end another pinion Z receiving a segmental rack Z (see Fig. 9) atthe end of an arm Z, the other end of which is mounted pivotally upon avertical shaft Z (see Fig. 9) toward the rear of the machine, while ashort arm Z is provided with an anti-friction roll Z (see Fig. 9), whichenters and is actuated by a cam track a in the lower face of a disk camon the vertical shaft a above the barrel cam (1 (see Fig. 1). Before theforward folding movement of the folder Z begins, I prefer to apply asuitable medium to secure the ends of the wrapper or inclosure, and inthe instance illustrated'this may be accomplished conveniently bypasting together the ends of the broad, fiat paper strip of wrappingpaper which constitutes the inclosure. As the preferred mode ofaccomplishing this pasting operation, I have shown means to apply pasteto the outward surface of the trailing end m which will become theoverlapping surface, and to permit this application of paste, 1 haveshown the forward wall Z (see Fig. 2) of the folder segment aperture ascut away at the points Z so that a-series of brushes Z carried by apaster arm Z (see Figs. 2 and 5), can reach the trailing end of thewrapper blank. The actuation of this paster may be accomplished in anysuitable manner, and as one convenient form of actuating means, I haveshown (see Fig. 2) a gear arm Z on whichthe paster is mounted. pivotallyat Z so that as the gear arm rotates about its pivot stud Z, a cam Zwill engage the paster arm Z and hold it away until the brushes withtheir burden of paste are opposite the trailing end at, when the arm Zescapes from the cam and a spring Z forces the brush forward to applythe paste to the end m through the apertures Z. The parts designated bythe reference numerals c4 and 64 respectively are protecting plates toprevent the moving parts from being engaged by the clothing of theoperator. The gear arm Z receives its motion from an intermediate gear Zmounted upon a rock shaft Z extending forward in hearings Z and havingat its end a gear Z meshing with a lever gear Z which is connected atits free end Z by a link Z to an adjustable screw stud Z extendingthrough a slot Z Cir in the head Z of the link and tapped into thecarriage which operates the strap engaging arm is, with the rearwardmotion of which the pasting operation should correspond. A paste vat Z"is shown as provided adjacent the hopper in such a position that whenthe pastor arm Z is lowered the pastor brushes Z are applied to theperiphery of a paste feeding roll {i operated by a gear Z (see Fig. 5)meshing with a pinion Z on a shaft Z which in turn carries (see Fig. 2)a gear Z meshing with a pinion 5 upon a shaft Z driven through themedium of a pulley Z driven by a belt running to a suitable source ofpower not shown. The amount of paste fed is regulated by a movablebottom plate Z and front cap plates Z secured in adjusted position bycap screws Z serve to retain the roll-shaft Z. The bottom plate issecured in adjusted position by screws Z. The pasting operation havingbeen accomplished, the folder segment Z*' (see Fig. 5) slides forward inits ways into the position shown in Fig. 5, while the hopper is still atrest, and the loose folder edge Z which may be normally held inward by aspring Z enters behind the trailing end 917. of the wrapper, the latterspringing outward in front of the folder, and thereafter the folderwipes the trailing edge around into the position shown in Fig. 5, incontact with the lapping forward edge m of the wrapper, and holds themin such contact until the hopper once more takes up its forwardrotation, after which the contact between the lapping ends is maintainedby engagement of the end of with the box wall Z To prevent the spots ofpaste from being displaced during the wiping motion, 1 have shown theouter edge of the forward segment aperture jamb as grooved or cut awayslightly as at Z (see Fig. 2), thus leaving a clearance for the pastedspots.

By the above operations the straps have been arranged in their wrapperand the latter sealed in the form illustrated in Fig. 1 the strapspresenting their uncovered ends preferably above the margin of thewrapper, so that they can be grasped easily by the workman and withdrawnfrom the wrapper, until its contents are completely exhausted. Thewrapper is also open at the bottom, so that the workman can apply hisfinger to the loop end, or bight, of the straps and force them upwardinto position to be grasped and ren'ioved more readily.

The individual bundles of straps will be ejected severally by the actionof the spring operated gates Z when any particular slot has in thecourse of rotation of the hopper reached the dischargeway N (see Fig. 5)at a point shown as distant threequarters of a revolution from the pointof introduction of the straps, giving the paste a chance to dry,although I do not limit myself to this point of discharge, nor to thespecific mode of discharge. lhe dischargeway is shown as formed by ashelf a and wall, or walls, 12, along which the bundles travel outward,one by one.

The mechanism for rotation of the hopper and its support may be of anysuitable construction, and as one convenient support, I have shown (seeFig. 9) the hopper as provided with a downwardly extending hub Z securedby bolts Z to central. seats Z" (see Fig. 5) in the hopper and formingavertical bearing Z to receive and rotate about a vertical bearing postZ mounted on the hopper base a which forms part of the main base of themachine. The rotation of the hopper is accomplished in the instanceillustrated through the medium of a circular rack Z extending downwardfrom the bottom of th hopper and interrupted at quarterly intervals, asindicated at P, the teeth of the hopper meshing with the teeth of aninterrupter gear a forming part of the structure of the cam a which iscarried and actuated by the vertical shaft a The hopper L rotates oncefor each four rotations of the gear vVhile the packing and wrapping orinclosing mechanism above described is of special utility where embodiedin the construction of amachine of the class set forth, I wish itunderstood that l contemplate its utilization in any field to which itis adapted by the nature of my improvements, and it will be madethesubject of generic claims in a separate application for United StatesLetters Patent.

Printing 0pemtz'0n.ris it is usual in machines of the class described toprovide mechanism for printing upon the straps the initials of themanufacturer, his trademark, or some other distinctive device, at such aregion of the loop that it will be conspicuous after the strap has beensecured upon the shoe upper, T have illustrated herein one form ofprinting mechanism which may be embodied conveniently in theconstruction of an organized machine embodying my improvements, althoughI do not limit myself to the use of this particular form of printingmechanism, nor indeed to the use of any printing device.

The printing mechanism illustrated (see Fig. 2; also Figs. 1 and 4)comprises an arm P mounted pirotallv near one end, as at p, upon abearing bracket 7), on the machine, and having a link 79 and pin 39connection with a crank shaft 79 the latter being actuated by a spiralgear 79 meshing with a spiral gear 29 on a clutch member 79 mountedfreelv on the main shaft a. Upon each forward movement of the arm P,which is arranged to occur during the dwell of the strip portion aopposite the platen a,

prior to the feeding operation, the arm P presses against the strip adie or other form of printing means 29 which may be, and preferably is,secured adjustably, as by screws 79 within a chase 77 so that the formcan be arranged to engage the proper region of the strip regardless ofthe length of the completed strap. To provide ink for the die, I haveshown a rotating ink disk p, of well-known form, mounted upon an uprightinclined shaftp, carried rotatively in suitable bearings supported by anarm 7) extending from the frame members a to which it is secured bysuitable fastening means, and to transfer the ink to the die from thedisk, an inking roller 2 is shown, carried by an armlike lever p havingan elbow joint p and an upper arm portion 29" mounted upon rock shaft pand having a pawl 9 (see Figs. 2 and a) which ongages intermittently theteeth of a disk shaft ratchet gear 79 A latch [9 prevents reversemovement of the disk, by engaging the teeth of the ratchet gear 79 and ascrew 10 may be provided to regulate the operation of the pawl 72, thelatter having a spring 29 to hold it normally in engagement with theratchet, (see Fig. i). The rock shaft 79 has a crank 20 (see Figs. 1 and5) connected by a link with the spiral gear 29 which, as alreadydescribed meshes with the spiral gear p carried by the clutch member pmounted freely upon the main shaft a. 'ihe shaft has another clutchmember 7) (see Fig. 2) connected rotatively with it by a pin 32 whichtransfixes also the inner end of a rod 29 lying in a recessed portion aformed preferably as an axial bore, in the actuating shaft, from theouter end of which the rod projects and is provided with a controllingknob 72. This knob has in turn (see Fig. 5) a shoulder 79 which when theknob is pulled outward and given a quarter turn will engage the end ofthe shaft, and when so engaged, the clutch members will be connected, asshown in Fig. 5, and will rotate with the shaft, and the inkingmechanism will be actuated. The end of the shaft a is provided with agroove or notch (4 and when the knob shoulder 79 is brought oppositethis notch and the knob is released, a spring 29 (see Fig. 2)surrounding the rod 79" within the bore a and confined between ashoulder on a reduced part of the rod and a bushing a in the end of theshaft, (see Fig. 4, the knob 27 being omitted to show the end of thebushing,) throws the rod and clutch rearward out of engagement with theother clutch member, stopping the printing mechanism. To start theprinting mechanism again, the knob 79 is pulled outward until theshoulder 32 escapes from the notch a and turns opposite the portion a?of the shaft end. (See Fig. 2.)

The reference letters a and a (see Fig. l) designate respectively guardplates, one for the main actuating gear and pinion, and the other forthe front of the machine, a being one of the supporting posts for thefront plate.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 2- l. A machine formanufacturing shoe straps; said machine comprising covering mechanism,doubling mechanism, and packing mechanism acting upon said shoe-strapsin the order named, and being organized to manufacture and. deliverpackages in inclosures each containing a plurality of covered anddoubled shoe straps.

2. A machine for manufacturing shoe straps; comprising covering,doubling and packing mechanisms constructed and arranged to receivestrap, cover and inclosure stock; said mechanisms acting upon saidarticles in the order named, and being organized to manufacture saidcover and strap stock into a plurality of covered, doubled straps; alsoto pack said covered, doubled straps in a bundle, and to apply to saidbundle said inclosure stock, leaving said s *aps removable individuallyuntil exhaustion of said bundle.

3. A machine for manufacturing articles of the class described fromsubstantially continuous strips of work, cover and inclosure stock; saidmachine comprising supports for said stock strip supplies respectively;a tension and detector device; marking mechanism; severing mechanism; aretaining member to hold the stock end of said work strip afterseve'ance; a yielding folding-table; a reciprocating gripper device tograsp said severed stock-end and draw successive supplies of work-strippast said detector, marking, retaining and severing devicesrespectively, and over said table; mechanism to feed successive suppliesof cover stock transversely between said table and work-strip, and meansto sever suitable portions from said cover strip; a divided templetblade movable toward said table; folder members on opposite sides ofsaid table to engage said cover material upon depression of said tableand cover material under the action of said templet, and means to movesaid folder members transversely to overlap the edges of said covermaterial upon said templet; a creasing device to engage said coveredarticle and withdraw it transversely between the portions of saidtemplet; doubling mechanism to receive said covered article bightforward from said creasing device and compress said article; assemblingmechanism to receive said articles serz'atim from said doublingmechanism; an assembly way into which said articles are introduced sue

